P33: Gaining a voice in local and national education policy issues through collaborative relationships

Author: Shelly Belleau, University of Colorado, USA

Co-Author:

Date: 8/3/14

Time: 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM

Room: MAK BLL 126

Related Symposium: S5

As teachers, we often feel overwhelmed by the things that seem out of our control and changes dictated to us from those outside of the teaching profession. This presentation will focus on ways that we as teachers can establish agency and have a voice in local and national issues concerning education policy, research, and curriculum. In particular, I will discuss how I became involved with the American Chemical Society, including the formation of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT), and the Streamline to Mastery program at the University of Colorado, Boulder as an NSF Noyce Master Teaching Fellow. I will share how these experiences and professional relationships have provided opportunities for me to meaningfully collaborate with other teachers and university faculty to conduct and publish science-education research. These collective experiences have ultimately led to opportunities for my voice to be heard in local and national discussions about teachers, teaching quality, and education policy and research.